In talking with people, I get the impression most don't really know what science is or how it works.

This lack of scientific literacy hampers dialogue on the creation/evolution front, as well as the quality of science journalism and education. Experience with the scientific method is needed, at least in part, to overcome this illiteracy.

About the author

Kirby Runyon lives in Spring Arbor. He recently received his bachelor's degree in physics from Houghton College in Kentucky, and will start graduate school at Western Michigan University this fall.

The scientific method is arguably biblically inspired and outlines the process of defining a problem, formulating a testable hypothesis, predicting a possible outcome, and then testing that hypothesis to see if it may be disproved. This boils down to what the Apostle Paul teaches the Church at Thessalonica: "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

This forms the basis of both faith in Christ and scientific discovery. In "holding on to the good," we uncover what is true, whether that truth is about the nature of the universe or the nature of God.

On May 25, NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander touched down inside the arctic circle of Mars. It landed on a Martian arctic plane named Vastitas Borealis, 68 degrees north, which on Earth corresponds to about halfway between Fairbanks and Barrow, Ala.

This part of Mars is covered with what geologists call "polygonal terrain," which also is found in arctic and antarctic regions on Earth, notably on Canada's Devon Island. Polygonal terrain is weird: It's a series of interconnected troughs that run for miles in every direction.

Planetary scientists first are using Phoenix to describe Mars' arctic conditions, and second to test hypotheses. For example, interested laypersons and scientists want to learn about Mars' past by digging (using Phoenix's robotic arm) through the Martian permafrost to reach a near-surface layer of water ice for analysis.

The arm scoops up ice and soil, and delivers them to special ovens that will heat the samples and allow gases to escape. Spectrometers in the ovens will then characterize the ice and soil makeup. One hypothesis tested here is that Mars' climate once allowed for liquid water to exist stably at the surface. Phoenix can falsify or help verify that claim. Note that verification is not synonymous with proof; it only means that an experimental or observational outcome does not disprove a hypothesis.